AudiologyOnline Takes You Around the Web in 60 Seconds! - Vol. 5, No. 1

AudiologyOnline uses the latest in internet scanning and retrieval technology to find hearing health-related news and web sites from around the world. This information is then compiled and summarized by our President & Editor-in-Chief, Paul Dybala, Ph.D., and Associate Editor, Kristi Albers, M.A., so that you can take a virtual trip around the "hearing health world wide web" in 60 seconds!

This edition of "Around the Web" (ATW) includes: a deaf dog is taught sign-language, hearing aids & bras (what?!), noisy eyeballs & tinnitus, golf risky for hearing, dangerous toys, a signing Santa, Grace's Law passes and many more!

If you have an item to add to this list, please send it to the Editor via the Contact Us section of the web site.

ULM Speech and Hearing Clinic gets new look in New Year - 01/12/2009
ulm.edu
The Speech and Hearing Clinic at the University of Louisiana at Monroe has evaluated and treated a variety of communication challenges among clients of all ages for more than 40 years. Accommodations to serve those clients will be greatly expanded and improved when a new, state-of-the-art Speech and Hearing "Center" opens in the spring.

Videoconferencing links sign language interpreters with the hearing-impaired - 01/12/2009
computerworld.com
A frightening scenario: A child is missing in an airport, and his mother, who is deaf, is frantically looking for him. When the mother rushes to an airline employee for help, there's a communication breakdown. The employee doesn't know sign language, so the anxious mother writes a cryptic message that reads like it's been translated from a foreign language, something like "boy, 6,no see."

New videoconferencing technology will enable on-demand, round-the-clock interpreting services for the hearing-impaired for situations like this.

Hear what I hear? Maybe not - 01/11/2009
knoxnews.com
Hearing loss is no laughing matter - mostly because when you have it, you can't hear people laughing at you.

Chick Wit: Hearing aids, bras: Tactical weapons - 01/11/2009
philly.com
A columnist shares her experience with her mother who has hearing loss. An amusing story that is all to familiar with our hearing aid patients.

Boy has pioneering brain implant - 01/10/2009
news.bbc.co.uk
A young boy with dystonia has been unable to receive a cochlear implant. He was recently implanted with a new device to help the dystonia. The hope is he will someday be able to get a CI.

Tiny NVE sensors make big profits - 01/10/2009
startribune.com
The stock of NVE Corp., the Eden Prairie-based maker of electronic sensors for pacemakers, hearing aids and factory automation equipment, rose in 2008 p an impressive 8.4 percent for the year despite the worst recession in decades.

Young Scientist winners' project proves they are the cream of the crop - 01/10/2009
irishtimes.com
Future researchers of tinnitus: Runner-up winners of a young scientist content, three 18-year olds, believe they found an explanation and possible treatment ideas for tinnitus. This is the next generation who will suffer tinnitus - wonderful they are already wanting to find a cure!

CES 2009: Unwired Technology, ASHA Team Up On Hearing Health - 01/09/2009
consumerelectronicsnet.com
Unwired Technology and ASHA have announced their program on the "Listen To Your Buds" campaign aimed at promoting hearing health for children nationwide.

Energizer talks about Zinc Air Prismatic batteries;We want them in our mobile devices! - 01/09/2009
intomobile.com
Energizer says that they've developed simple and cost effective air management solutions, similar to hearing aid batteries, to enable the use of this battery technology in a wide range of portable electronic devices.

Can you hear me now? - 01/09/2009
wickedlocal.com
Sometimes when a friend or relative has uncorrected hearing loss it can be a real barrier to phone conversations and pleasant visits.

Come on, feel the noise - 01/09/2009
guardian.co.uk
Going up to 11 has long been a badge of honour in rock music. But there's a price to pay for those decibels. One writer talks to musicians about the perils of playing loud.

HearUSA Reports Revenues for Fourth Quarter 2008 - 01/09/2009
marketwire.com
HearUSA's net revenues decreased approximately 11% to $24.6 million from the same period a year ago and approximately 14% from the previous quarter.

Do Titanium Golf Clubs Cause Hearing Loss? - 01/08/2009
wpxi.com
Could golfers soon be sprouting ear plugs on the green?

Excuse me what did you say? - 01/07/2009
charlevoixcourier.com
Believe half of what you see and none of what you hear especially if you are losing your ability to hear.

His special gift: new kidney - 01/07/2009
cincinnati.com
Kidney failure and hearing loss are the two telltale symptoms of Alport syndrome, which is what one young boy and his brother suffer from.

On Wednesdays, It's Jazz At Lenny's - 01/07/2009
northeast2.tbo.com
Chuck Berlin is back playing jazz. After losing his home and research lab to Hurricane Katrina he is now in Florida.

One Implant Made an Impact. Might Two Do Even More? - 01/06/2009
washingtonpost.com
For one family, a second cochlear implant surgery was a difficult decision.

An "Incredible" Guest at All American Hearing - 01/06/2009
wsiltv.com
Hearing loss affects about 29 million Americans. That includes some pretty famous faces. Actor Lou Ferrigno is among them.

HearUSA Receives URAC Health Network Accreditation - 01/06/2009
money.cnn.com
HearUSA, Inc. has been awarded Health Network Accreditation from URAC, a Washington, DC-based health care accrediting organization that establishes quality standards for the health care industry.

Ending the silence: Daughter's chance to hear poses heavy decision for family - 01/06/2009
mysuburbanlife.com
Read of one family's journey during the decision to implant their young child.

Serendipitous Science: From Noisy Eyeballs to Regulating Information Flow in the Brain - 01/06/2009
sciam.com
What do tinnitus and noisy eyeballs have in common? The nucleus accumbens. Very interesting read...

Best Careers for 2009 - 01/05/2009
yahoo.com
Audiology is the #1 "Best Career" for 2009 according to U.S, News & World Report.

Hearing Aid Myths - 01/05/2009
gwdtoday.com
One audiologist discussed common hearing aid myths.

High Tech Golfing a Risky Sport? - 01/04/2009
ergoweb.com
The latest generation of thin-faced titanium drivers propel a golf ball farther and make the game easier. The price could be hearing loss, according to a case published recently in the British Medical Journal. Using the high-tech clubs at an enclosed driving range is particularly risky.

N.D. legislative session introducing tax credit for hearing aids - 01/04/2009
grandforksherald.com
Applaud North Dakota state legislators...they are attempting to again pass a bill that would create state tax credits for hearing aids for children and adults over 55. A similar bill failed in 2007. See "health" section.

Why that Ringing in Your Ears Isn't a Huge Deal - 01/04/2009
esquire.com
Tinnitus is explained to one Esquire reader.

WARNING: City noise levels could seriously damage health - 01/02/2009
eveningtimes.co.uk
noise levels in the city could be damaging your health. According to one hearing expert, prolonged exposure to city life could leave your ears ringing. And too much exposure could permanently damage your hearing. Given that anything over 85 decibels could be harmful we took to the streets to record just how loud the city is.

Iraqi kid in U.S. for hearing restoration - 01/02/2009
marketwatch.com
Mustafa Ghazwan, 3,is set for surgery to fix the deafness he suffered in a missile strike in Iraq. Mustafa will be given a cochlear implant at the University of California, San Francisco on Jan. 16 that should restore the hearing he lost in 2007 just as he was learning to talk.

Doctors at UCSF Help Victims of War from Home - 01/01/2009
kcbs.com
The war in Iraq is spurring more Bay Area physicians and activists to help treat civilians wounded in the conflict.

10 most dangerous toys for 2008 - 01/01/2009
fwdailynews.com
The Consumer Product Safety Commission Modernization Act was signed Aug. 14,2008 — but does not take effect until February 2009. The Keenan's Kids Foundation estimates roughly 20 percent of toys currently on retail shelves will not pass the new safety standards. Toys that are still considered "safe" will soon be considered inadequate under federal safety standards.

Now hear this: New items enhance music fun - 01/01/2009
chicagotribune.com
Ever asked by parents for a recommendation for a safe headphone for their child? Check out the first product listed in this article - it is a headphone designed for children and will NOT exceed 85 dB.

Clinton daughter's letter wins hearing aid for 'Poppi' - 01/01/2009
wickedlocal.com
Beltone of New England, based in Warwick, R.I. recently awarded a Hospice volunteer with a pair of free Beltone hearing aids by sponsoring a writing contest.

The first portable system for measuring the damage to hearing in cetaceans - 12/30/2008
innovations-report.de
Cetaceans are the most threatened species in the world, due, amongst other things, to problems directly caused by human sources of sound. This can lead to collisions with ships and the mass beaching of animals after military maneuvers.
Although there is no conclusive data of the impact of noise pollution on the disorientation and death of these animals, it has been widely accepted that the negative effects of noise have irreversible repercussions on their sense of hearing.

NJ requires insurers to cover kids' hearing aids - 12/30/2008
newsday.com
Congratulations to families in New Jersey and we applaud the New Jersey government for passing this crucial law!

She made lawmakers listen - 12/30/2008
nj.com
An inspiration to us all that we can make a difference in our government.

Hard to hear at holiday parties? Blame your brain - 12/29/2008
usatoday.com
Huh? Too noisy to hear at parties? But wait — how come these younger people understood what she said? Actually, part of the problem may be your brain. In fact, it may lie in your brain's dimmer switch for controlling the input from your ears. That bit of brain circuitry appears to falter with age, and scientists are getting some clues about why.

Long, loud iPod use can damage hearing - 12/28/2008
azcentral.com
They are called the iPod generation and unfortunately are our future patients.

The gift of sound - 12/28/2008
reviewonline.com
About two years ago, Megan Danver's world started to grow quiet. In that short span, her hearing degraded rapidly, and her audiologist was concerned.

New Year's resolution: Plug those ears at concerts - 12/28/2008
nj.com
As you're pondering what resolutions you'd like to make for the new year, I'd like to suggest one: Protect your ears! (We'll 2nd that one!)

Theater offers live captioning - 12/28/2008
abclocal.go.com
One Chicago theater goes the extra mile for patrons in offering technology for those with disabilities.

Captioning comes to IMAX Theater - 12/27/2008
news-journalonline.com
The IMAX Theater at the World Golf Hall of Fame is now equipped to offer closed and descriptive captioning services for hearing and visually impaired guests.

For sign language interpreters, it's performing with hands - 12/27/2008
madison.com
Michele Guyette and Molly Belt spend hours in rehearsal before every show they do, deciding just how to mold a dramatic line, deliver a joke or imbue a song with deep meaning. But Guyette and Belt are not part of a cast per se. They're sign language interpreters.

Sisters receive gift of hearing with cochlear implants - 12/26/2008
times-herald.com
Two sisters were born with Enlarged Vestibular Aqueduct Syndrome, which causes hearing loss. Read about their wonderful journey with cochlear implants.

Health Buzz: State Medicaid Cuts and Other Health News - 12/26/2008
health.usnews.com
Some states have stopped payments for services that the federal government doesn't require them to cover, such as physical therapy, hospice care, HEARING AIDS, and eyeglasses.

9,370 disabled workers a record in Ohio - 12/25/2008
columbusdispatch.com
When Dru Carvi lost some of her hearing from a severe ear infection, she thought her days as a registered respiratory therapist at OhioHealth were numbered. Instead, Carvi worked with disability programs and received an electronic stethoscope that works with her hearing aids so she doesn't have any problems monitoring the breathing of children and adults.

Violin has motivated girl's life - 12/25/2008
courier-journal.com
Though hearing-impaired, teen has won music competitions, scholarships.

Not only cash goes in kettles - 12/25/2008
signonsandiego.com
A whole lot more than supermarket change ends up in the ubiquitous seasonal Salvation Army kettles...hearing aids have even made there way in there!

New 'talking kiosk' sings for Penn Station passengers - 12/25/2008
chelseanow.com
To help visually impaired customers find the kiosk, it emits the song of the lark sparrow, a bird species native to the West that is found by audiologists to have a unique set of phonetic properties, making it most effective at assisting in directional wayfinding.

Maternal CMV Infection Raises Risk of Child's Hearing Loss - 12/24/2008
redorbit.com
A new study by researchers in Belgium has found that children have a higher risk of hearing loss due to congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection if their mother was infected with the virus during the first trimester of pregnancy rather than in the later stages.

The truth About Dyslexia - 12/24/2008
denver.yourhub.com
The most basic sign of dyslexia is not "reversed letters" as many people think, but rather weak phonemic awareness skills. Phonemic awareness and auditory processing skills are the underlying cognitive abilities to hear and remember the smallest individual units of sound in a word.

Tech and teens: Hearing at risk - 12/24/2008
sun-sentinel.com
If the teens you know are hooked up to an iPod or other MP3 player, there's a good chance they're also harming their hearing. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, along with the Parents' Choice Foundation, recently offered three tips for protecting hearing.

Mom's infection raises risk of infant hearing loss - 12/23/2008
reuters.com
The risk of hearing loss due to congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is greater when the mother-to-be is infected with the virus in the first three months of pregnancy rather than later in the pregnancy, researchers have found.

HearUSA and Siemens Amend Agreements - 12/23/2008
msnbc.msn.com
HearUSA has amended its supply and revolving credit agreements with its key strategic partner, Siemens Hearing Instruments, Inc.

Now hear this: Use MP3 players with care - 12/23/2008
orlandosentinel.com
The way you use your personal electronics may be hazardous to your health, as a couple of recent reports remind us. Here's how to avoid short- or long-term health problems...

Hearing help available for young - 12/23/2008
jacksonville.com
Program in Southeast Georgia is there for youngsters who are in need of hearing aid funding.

Bill's World: The bigger the ears, the more you hear it - 12/21/2008
gastongazette.com
One columnist shares a hilarious story about his big ears (and thus big hearing aids) and how friends are telling him to get them trimmed or made smaller.

Hearing-impaired kids 'sign' Christmas wishes to special Santa - 12/20/2008
cjonline.com
Bringing his hands together, Santa Claus signed "Ho, ho, ho" as he strolled into the deaf and hard-of-hearing classroom Friday morning at Whitson Elementary School.

Students, who had been signing "We wish you a Merry Christmas," looked up. Their eyes widened. There he was. The man in the red suit with the curly, snow-white beard. And he used sign language — just like them.

Refined music listening - 12/20/2008
kentucky.com
When Rachel Skergan was diagnosed with congenital deafness shortly after birth, her parents made a choice that would alter her life: She would not be taught to sign with her hands or read lips. Instead, they would rely on technology to allow her to hear and talk.

Couple's love has overcome shared hearing disability - 12/19/2008
tooeletranscript.com
It was a romance that would eventually become a marriage lasting 10 years and counting. But the Mitchells have overcome more than their fair share of difficulties along the way. Michael has been hard of hearing since birth, and Marsha became deaf after she had meningitis at age 3.

Cochlear implant helps White succeed on court, in classroom - 12/19/2008
daytondailynews.com
You can't see the hearing devices beneath Greg White's long hair. Without them, he can't hear. The high school senior basketball player wears a cochlear implant in his left ear and a hearing aid in his right ear.

Prof Graeme Clark is bringing music to their ears - 12/18/2008
news.com
THREE decades ago Prof Graeme Clark made it possible for the deaf to hear. Now he is working on giving them music. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the world's first cochlear implant, Prof Clark unveiled a prototype of the next-generation "hi-fi" bionic ear he is now developing at La Trobe University.

Cochlear Sets Quality Standard with Dyadem - 12/18/2008
prnewswire.com
Dyadem, the market leader in Quality Lifecycle Management and Risk Lifecycle Management solutions, has announced that Cochlear Limited, the industry leader in hearing implant innovation, is using software from Dyadem to enhance and standardize its quality assessments.

Father, daughter now able to hear - 12/17/2008
news-leader.com
Cochlear implants highlight hearing loss at different ages.

USAO alum shares hearing loss journey in novel - 12/17/2008
chickashanews.com
Most people don't expect to deal with hearing loss until their old age, but one woman has years of experience and she is in her mid-thirties. Shanna Bartlett Groves has dealt with hearing loss in online support groups, speaking engagements, relationships and now in a new novel, Lip Reader. The novel is based on her own experiences with hearing loss.

Audiology Student's Research Poster is Tops in Texas - 12/16/2008
utdallas.edu
For the second year in a row, a UT Dallas Doctor of Audiology (AuD) student has won first place in the Texas Academy of Audiology (TAA) Student Poster Contest. Rachel Wood, fourth-year AuD student, received her award during the 9th Annual TAA Conference in Richardson on Nov. 13-14.

Practice as well as sleep may help birds learn new songs - 12/15/2008
uchicago.edu
Researcher have found that auditory information finches were exposed to during the day is reactivated during sleep, [carried by the spontaneous activity of neurons], changing the structure of the neural networks. These changes interact with changes during the day as birds listen to tutor songs and practice singing." The authors suggest that reactivation of sensory information at night might be a general mechanism for learning a new skill.

As we age, is the pattern of hearing loss different for men and women? - 12/15/2008
boston.com
Columnist provides a nice overview of presbycusis and encourages readers to get their hearing tested!

Horses fight autism one step at a time - 12/15/2008
lakecities.com
Jacob, 8,has sensory integration dysfunction, which means he doesn't process sensory input correctly. Sounds, smells, noises;all come differently to him. Jacob has been coming to SpiritHorse Therapeutic Riding Center for five and half years for sensory therapy.

Consider the hearing impaired - 12/14/2008
chicagotribune.com
A holiday gathering is a great time to catch up with the family—unless you can't hear well. For those with hearing loss, crowds and background noise make conversation extra hard.

Say what? Welcome to our ever-louder lives - 12/14/2008
ajc.com
Atlanta, doubling it's metro popluation in the last 25 years, has gotten noisy! Atlanta audiologist, Helena Solodar, discussed noise and it's impact on hearing.

Staying Safe: Protecting your child's hearing - 12/14/2008
ksl.com
Dr. Candi Brown, a school audiologist, is feature in this story - she was teaching a class about hearing. In a demonstration using pipe cleaners, she showed the students the effects different sounds can have on the thousands of hair cells in our ears.

Austin schools pay for superintendent's $6,200 hearing aids - 12/13/2008
statesman.com
Austin school Superintendent Pat Forgione received a $6,200 reimbursement from the school district for hearing aids last month, as is allowed under a 2006 amendment to his contract that guarantees the district will cover the cost of hearing exams and aids.

Technology that's music to her ears - 12/12/2008
newsobserver.com
Raleigh girl, 5,is one of the first to get a major cochlear upgrade.

The 30 Best Careers for 2009 - 12/11/2008
usnews.com
Audiologist is #1!!!

You should get to know ... Sara Michael - 12/10/2008
desmoinesregister.com
Dr. Sara Michael discusses her success as a private practice owner in Des Moines, IA.

Chinese girl gets 'kiss of deaf' - 12/09/2008
bbc.co.uk
A young Chinese woman was left partially deaf following a passionate kiss from her boyfriend.

Everyday use of earbuds could lead to hearing loss - 12/08/2008
ajc.com
Justin Roberts has wildly curious young fans, the type who might lean into a live monitor during one of his concerts just to see what it sounds like. But the popular children's entertainer knows a blast of loud music isn't the only risk to a child's hearing.

All That Noise Is Damaging Children's Hearing - 12/08/2008
nytimes.com
The Children's Hearing Institute reports that hearing loss among children and young adults is rising in the United States, and that one-third of the damage is caused by noise.

Deaf dog taught sign language - 12/02/2008
warwickcourier.co.uk
A deaf Dalmatian being cared for at an animal shelter has been taught sign language by staff.